A friendly public service announcement
Today's broadcast journalism newcomers have it pretty rough. Journalism schools are cranking out more graduates than there are available jobs. And in some cases, you have more than 25 people competing for the same crappy one-man-band job up in Watertown, New York. What's an eager news newbie to do, to make sure they stand out?
How about get taken advantage of? There are countless "resume tape services" listed in every industry publication, where you pay $500-$2000 to have the supposedly "perfect" resume tape created. You know, the one that will prick the news director's finger when he tries to hit the eject button on his VCR? And let's not forget about those agents who swoop up these young graduates even before they get a job that pays less than $22,000 a year.
I'm sure there's some job seekers lurking around here, so let me give you a free piece of advice: SAVE YOUR MONEY. The best way to get a job is through an internship, hands down. You get experience and contacts that can help you down the road. Networking is the number one way that people find jobs in this line of work, especially those all-important first jobs.
And your resume tape? Try to make one at your internship. Ask a reporter or a photog if they'd be willing to help you. More importantly, ask the news director what they want to see in a resume tape. Use their advice when you create your tape, and then have them critique it. By the way, please don't use a story involving a building fire. Every news director has seen these, and unless you've got a really freaking creative angle, you're going to bore the news director into ejecting your tape.
The lesson? Those "professional" resume and agent services are no guarantee of a job. Hell, the people I see who take that route end up in the same crappy starter markets as the people who went the internship route. And since your first job is going to pay you a hilariously crappy wage, shouldn't you try to save your money?
How about get taken advantage of? There are countless "resume tape services" listed in every industry publication, where you pay $500-$2000 to have the supposedly "perfect" resume tape created. You know, the one that will prick the news director's finger when he tries to hit the eject button on his VCR? And let's not forget about those agents who swoop up these young graduates even before they get a job that pays less than $22,000 a year.
I'm sure there's some job seekers lurking around here, so let me give you a free piece of advice: SAVE YOUR MONEY. The best way to get a job is through an internship, hands down. You get experience and contacts that can help you down the road. Networking is the number one way that people find jobs in this line of work, especially those all-important first jobs.
And your resume tape? Try to make one at your internship. Ask a reporter or a photog if they'd be willing to help you. More importantly, ask the news director what they want to see in a resume tape. Use their advice when you create your tape, and then have them critique it. By the way, please don't use a story involving a building fire. Every news director has seen these, and unless you've got a really freaking creative angle, you're going to bore the news director into ejecting your tape.
The lesson? Those "professional" resume and agent services are no guarantee of a job. Hell, the people I see who take that route end up in the same crappy starter markets as the people who went the internship route. And since your first job is going to pay you a hilariously crappy wage, shouldn't you try to save your money?
posted by Howard Beale at 8:35 PM
14 Comments:
Also.. don't be too selective. I've seen people go almost a year without any offers b/c they think they're too good for anything 150+. I've seen jobs posted on tvjobs for $14,500. So you might not even be making 22.
I heard WYOU is turning wb/scranton into a starter market.
Howard the internship is some of the best advice you or anyone could offer someone looking to break into the business. When I was ND internship were the perfect way to work in the business, show the producers, assignment editors and others what skills you had and gain experience. So what if you didn't get paid for it, it opens doors, maybe part time, but it is a way to start.
Used to be you could start in radio news and make the switch over, but with no local news operations in radio, that door is closed. Even ESPN has an internship for professionals looking to break into that place...it is the way to go....
Ya, leaving for college this fall for Broadcast Journalism, I have been told by an up-north station to aim no lower than $16,000 for your first job. Ouch. The thing is, I love it. I held my first internship last year at age 17, and this fall leaving for college, I know that this is my calling. Any suggestions for jumping into the business. Oh, one last thing. A guy where I'm going to school (California University of Pennsylavania, South of Pittsburgh) landed a reporting job at News 10 Now in Syracuse NY. The station is a 24/7 local news channel, operated by Time Warner. I've been hearing some mixed reactions about local 24/7 networks for a first job. Is this a good/bad idea. Thanks.
Here's another vote for internships!
I have supervised dozens of interns in television newsrooms over the years. Quite a few were hired (off the internship or after making a stop at another station of two).
Internships help young people decide the tv news business is for them. They also show them it's not. Better to find out you don't want to be in news before you accept a job hundreds of miles away and can't afford anything except pork & beans.
To the high school grad who posted at 6:45PM: Treating journalism as a calling is a great start. If it's just a way to collect a paycheck, you won't last long.
While you're in college, try to work at the school's radio or tv station (hope your school has both). Consider the school paper. Try for a job at the local tv and radio stations. Even emptying waste baskets will expose you to what's happening. You could be in the right place at the right time to grab a starter news position.
The worst thing a college grad can do is show up at a tv station with no experience outside the classroom and say "Hire me, I'm ready!"
Nexstar turned Wilkes-Barre/Scranton into a "starter" market years ago. It's proven even more now with the hiring of "one person bands" for their newly reincarnated Stroudsburg bureau...and for their Williamsport bureau (where they used to have a reporter and photog...before the photog got busted for being a pedophile). When the reporter left recent years back, the photog transferred to Wilkes-Barre...then he was busted for child porn. Then they promoted their current reporter/photog from the assignment desk to an on-air/photog job.
Speaking of the WBRE/WYOU bureaus: how much news to they pump out in a day? Are their stories from those bureaus on every day? I'm no longer in the area, so I wouldn't know.
gfjcfrYa, leaving for college this fall for Broadcast Journalism, I have been told by an up-north station to aim no lower than $16,000 for your first job. Ouch. The thing is, I love it. I held my first internship last year at age 17, and this fall leaving for college, I know that this is my calling. Any suggestions for jumping into the business. Oh, one last thing. A guy where I'm going to school (California University of Pennsylavania, South of Pittsburgh) landed a reporting job at News 10 Now in Syracuse NY. The station is a 24/7 local news channel, operated by Time Warner. I've been hearing some mixed reactions about local 24/7 networks for a first job. Is this a good/bad idea. Thanks.
If you want to make it in broadcast journalism, learn how to write well. There's a lot of people out there who can't write a clear sentence, so if you're the kind of person who sleeps with an AP broadcast stylebook under your pillow, a news director will love you. Joining a professional organization like the RTNDA or SPJ can't hurt either, as it gives you an additional networking tool. And don't forget about internships!
As for News 10 Now and other 24-hour local news operations, they are a mixed bag. Because of the constant news cycle, you might not have enough time to put together a "good" story. But they so seem to be growing, so it's not like the rug will be pulled out from under you. I even understand News 10 Now is thinking of expanding into Binghamton. If a 24-hour local news operation offered you your first job, I'd consider it. Besides, it's not like you'll spend your whole career there.
Above all, never cop an attitude or pull rank. I knew of one girl who graduated from Syracuse, and thought she was the hottest thing since Edward R. Murrow. Well, one day she chewed out her photog, a 20-year veteran, simply because he suggested that she re-do a standup. This girl soon found herself the newsroom pariah, and her reputation followed her when she went to another market.
Good advice here. You must be willing to move, learn to write very well, and get help with your tape. I have put together seven resume tapes in my time (for other people) and I work at it until it is much better than mine was when I first started. And mine was great, thankyouverymuch.
A Syracuse grad thinking she's hot stuff? Who'd have guessed?
Hey, not all of us are turds! ;)
I've worked with folks from all sorts of backgrounds with 'tudes. Sometimes people forget it's a small business.
As recently as 6-8 years ago this was a second, if not third, job market. People did not start here. Today? Holy Crap, it looks at times like #175. So, if you're looking, look here, you might have a really good shot at it.
Everyone talks about newbies in this area - but I can't think of anyone who started here - except maybe WBREs new weather girl.
This market's #1 personality, Joe Snedeker, was hired by WNEP for his first tv job.
WNEP reallly uses interns a lot! They get "real" experience and of course have the opportunity to crack out a tape.
I'm told by one employee--NEP recently hired 2 former interns. They are not used on air, but they go out, produce a package and then an anchor will voice it.
Post a Comment
<< Home